[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1154 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1154

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to prevent the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs from prohibiting the use of service dogs on Department 
                     of Veterans Affairs property.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2011

 Mr. Carter (for himself, Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Bachus, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. 
Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. Chaffetz, Mr. Culberson, Mrs. 
 Davis of California, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. 
  Flores, Mr. Huizenga of Michigan, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. 
Kildee, Mr. Kissell, Mr. LoBiondo, Mr. McCaul, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Mica, 
 Mrs. Miller of Michigan, Mr. Neal, Mr. Pence, Mr. Platts, Mr. Roe of 
Tennessee, Mrs. Schmidt, Mr. Towns, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr. Wittman, Mr. 
Young of Alaska, Mr. Chabot, and Mr. Stivers) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to prevent the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs from prohibiting the use of service dogs on Department 
                     of Veterans Affairs property.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Equal Treatment for Service 
Dogs Act'' or the ``VETS Dogs Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The usage of medical service dogs among veterans is 
        increasing.
            (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs currently allows 
        seeing-eye dogs in Department facilities.
            (3) The Department does not place any limitations on the 
        access of seeing-eye dogs to Department facilities.
            (4) The Americans With Disabilities Act requires that a 
        public entity or place of public accommodation modify its 
        polices, practices, and procedures to allow an individual with 
        a disability to use a service animal.

SEC. 3. USE OF SERVICE DOGS ON PROPERTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
              AFFAIRS.

    Section 901 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) The Secretary may not prohibit the use of service dogs in any 
facility or on any property of the Department or in any facility or on 
any property that receives funding from the Secretary.''.
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